Coconut samosa…..a delectable savoury for the coconut lovers

When coconuts are piled up in your kitchen in plenty, especially after the festivals of Makar Sankranti, Navaratri or Deepawali and you are wondering what to do with them, it is not a bad idea to make a savoury snack out of the left over coconuts in order to get rid of the continued sugar kick that you have been getting from the sweets or pithas of Sankranti or other festivals. So, here is my favourite version of samosa with coconut for all those who haven’t relished the taste of it yet. These refreshing bite size samosas, often made in our home are just yum. The fragrance of chopped onion, green chillies, fried or roasted peanuts blends really well with the grated coconut, which when filled inside the crunchy patties, will make you just die for it.

Samosas are pan Indian patties mostly had as appetizers or savoury snacks, popular as an evening tea time accompaniment. Which Indian doesn’t love samosa or shingara ? You just cannot stop gorging on hot samosas on a wet rainy day or on a chilly winter evening. They are loved by most of the Indians across all age groups and around any time of the day.

Samosas are believed to have come to India or the Indian subcontinent in the medieval age from the middle east or central Asia along with the Mughals and other Muslim rulers and had spread alongside the spread of Islam, which gradually incorporated into the Indian culture. Different versions of samosas are known in other parts of the world like the Mediterranean, Central, West, South and Southeast Asia as well as parts of North, South and the Horn of Africa. In the Arabian countries, they have a similar snack as appetizer called sanbusak, which they have every evening during the holy month of Ramadan, after they break their day-long fast. After its entry into India during the medieval times, samosa, samusa(in burmese), sambuus(in somali) or chamuças(in portuguese & goan) has underwent multiple transformations to get into the final shape of today’s Indian samosa. Within India too, it has been adapted differently in different regions. The filling inside the patties also varies from region to region. In most parts of India, it is mostly sauteed potato along with other vegetables like peas, chickpeas, groundnuts or other ingredients. In Bengal, samosa is known as shingara which is much lighter, smaller, crunchier with a thinner and flakier coat of dough outside and much less spicier inside with diced, boiled, lightly spiced and sauteed, potato along with other vegetables. Various non-vegetarian varieties are also popular with stuffings of meat or egg and also paneer.

Let us have a look at this coconut samosa recipe if you want to try and enjoy it.

1. In a bowl take your flour, add little salt & oil and mix well so that the oil blends uniformly with the flour.2. Add water to the mixture & knead it well using your hand to make a smooth, soft dough and keep it aside.3. In another bowl, take the grated coconut, add chopped onion & green chillies, peanuts, green peas and salt and then mix them well.(Note : You may add the optional ingredients here, in addition to the above).4. In a pan heat oil and saute your mixture a little over low flame. Turn off the flame and keep it aside.5. Now divide your dough into small portions or balls & roll into small flat roundels or chapatis. Cut it into two halves.6. Take each half, make a cone out of it to make some space.7. Fill it with the sauteed coconut mixture and seal it properly using your fingers to make small triangular patties or samosas. In this way make as much patties you want.8. In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and fry your patties in low or medium flame when the oil is fully hot.9. Fry the patties on both sides till they turn golden brown.10. Take out your fried patties from the oil and place them immediately on a paper towel so that the oil is drenched completely. Serve hot with your favourite chutney or ketchup.